Radius: Exploring ethics at the center of science and technology

Student Initiatives

We support MIT students in ethical reflection, inquiry and action. As part of our mission, we offer mentoring, logistical support and financial backing to new student initiatives that will make a difference in the world. In the 1970s and 80s, Radius stood with student activists against nuclear weapons and apartheid. More recently, we joined student efforts to call for integrity in fundraising. Today, students are getting MIT engaged with increasing the visibility and representation of indigenous scientists and engineers.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, Radius partnered with the Sustainability Group of the Undergraduate Association, Divest MIT, The Graduate Program in Science Journalism, the Knight Science Journalism Fellows, the Addir Interfaith Dialogue Fellows, the Interfraternity Council, The Planetary Health Alliance, the Native American Student Association, and the American Indian Society of Engineers and Scientists.

MIT student activists, if you are looking for moral, logistical and financial support, please contact Nina at nlytton@mit.edu.

Current Student Initiatives

YouthCAN at the Boston Latin School

In 2007, we began mentoring a student club at the Boston Latin School. When the first meeting was organized by BLS History teacher Cate Arnold, we were expecting a few students to show up. Instead, over 80 students packed the room, excited to begin the work of the BLS Youth Climate Action Network (BLSYouthCAN). On May 19, 2008, BLSYouthCAN hosted the first Youth Summit on Climate Change at MIT with more than 225 students attending. With our ongoing support, this annual summit has reached a wide audience of New England high-school students, inspiring a new generation to take action in response to one of the greatest ethical challenges of our time.

Go to the YouthCAN at the Boston Latin School website

Past Student Initiatives

Science for the People

Science for the People is interested in the structure and social implications of scientific research. For instance, how has funding from the military affected the research agenda at places like MIT? Why is relatively little money allocated nationally for climate change research? Why are there such disparities - in race, gender, and socioeconomic class - in the training and promotion of scientific researchers? By asking such questions, we aim to examine science’s role as a social institution and the scientist’s as a member of society. Our goal is work towards a science that is more diverse, socially engaged, and democratic.

SftP is inspired by the original “Science for the People” (SftP), a group of scientist-activists who were active at MIT, Harvard, and around the country in the 1970s and 1980s. The problems that the original group was grappling with - war, racism, ecological catastrophe, etc.- still remain. MIT SftP is part of a broader, national effort to revitalize SftP.

MIT Students Against War

The 2018-2019 academic year saw the founding of MIT Students Against War. The organization strove to create spaces where the MIT community can explore the ethics of MIT's complex, and often troubling, relationships with the US military, nation-states with dubious human rights records, and influential mega-donors--both individuals and corporations.

End Violence

In 2009, graduate student Yoda Patta (PhD '12, Materials Science) wondered about the increasing pandemic of violence against women around the world. What might scientists and engineers in particular have to contribute to this pressing issue? From this conversation, the end violence campaign was born. This initiative has raised the awareness of gender-rooted violence among hundreds of MIT students and faculty. The end violence campaign was officially embraced by the Program in Violence Prevention and Response at MIT Medical, the initiative's new home.

International Development Programs

Fleming Ray (G '03) noticed that, although many MIT labs and programs were deeply involved in international development, they had few opportunities to connect with each other. In response, on September 20, 2002, the MIT International Development Fair was born. Over the next ten years, we worked with the Public Service Center to offer fairs and networking events to bring together students engaged in international development and introduce new students to these important efforts. Networking and student engagement are now major aspects of D-Lab, CITE and other international development programs at MIT.